The Open Couple to visit Bengaluru, courtesy La Compagnie Dramatique

The Hindu

2 days ago

La Compagnie Dramatique, a theatre collective from Hyderabad is in the city and will present two engaging performances this weekend. The first is a theatrical reading of Ajay Krishnan's Butter and Mashed Banana, followed by the The Open Couple the next day.
The Open Couple was written in 1983 by Italian playwright Dario Fo and his wife Franca Rame. It is a farce that explores the ideas of equality, hypocrisy and politics in a marriage.
According to Faraz Khan, who is directing this production of The Open Couple, 'the writing was beautiful and the satire brilliant,' reasons he felt were more than enough to take up the play, apart from the legacy of Darian Fo who was a revolutionary in his own right.
Even though he was captivated by Darian's work, Faraz who saw himself as a 'dramatic' actor, was reluctant to take on comic works until he was persuaded by fellow actor Vaishali Bisht's argument that 'theatre requires imagination'.
'I believe all good writers craft like music and there is a beautiful, poetic sort of rhythm within the dialogues of Darian's work. I began getting a lot of interesting ideas and soon I knew I wanted to treat certain sections of the play with sound,' says Faraz.
'I realised I didn't have to think so much; I could trust my instinct and direct the piece,' he adds.
The Open Couple by La Compagnie Dramatique debuted in Hyderabad in 2013 and has been staged around 45 times across the country since then. Following a break in 2017, the troupe revived it again last year.
'It is something we are proud of because we've applied a lot of different nuances to it, including commedia dell'arte, which is an Italian comedic art form,' says Faraz.
La Compagnie Dramatique will also be presenting a theatrical reading of Ajay Krishnan's Butter and Mashed Banana, a play they found at The Drama Library, an online repository of plays by little and not-too-well known writers, which is maintained by The Basha Centre for Performing Arts in Bengaluru.
'It is a marvellous piece of writing and one piece every member of our group felt we could perform when we read the entire script. We have received permission from Ajay for the reading,' says Faraz, adding that audiences will be treated to a cross between 'a reading and a staged production.'
Butter and Mashed Banana will be presented on August 8 at Atta Galatta at 7.30pm; The Open Couple will be staged on August 9 at Jagriti Theatre at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets available on BookMyShow